SNAOTR
Formation SNAOTR is an acronym that stands for the Symbiotic North American OCM Trade Relationship. The term was coined by [[Trackstah07|trackstah07]] on October 30, 2010, but since it has grown into OCM's first organized trade alliance. Philosophy SNAOTR's founding philosophy was to strengthen North American cycling by "growing the pie" rather than merely "slicing the pie," a concept that is central to business and economic stimulus strategies. To accomplish this avoidance of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum zero-sum game], the teams do not restrict trade negotiation to monetary exchange, but also promotion of harmonious team dynamics and future trade considerations. Often times "trades" take the form of extremely short-term, low-or-no-interest loans with the sole bilateral benefit being the continuation of a strong allied relationship. In other words: "You scratch my back today, I'll scratch yours next week, next month, or the next month, the next time it's really itchy." Official SNAOTR Membership There are six teams that display the official SNAOTR jersey stripe pattern, which is made up of two orange slashes on the torso and an orange line on each collar bone. The teams are (alphabetically): [[Alberta_1|alberta 1]], cavicchi42, [[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]], speedyb, [[Trackstah07|trackstah07]], and Trinity. There are two exceptions/complications to the SNAOTR jersey rule: One of the founding members, HC Alpine, has stopped wearing the orange stripes because they "clash" with the team's Canada-themed red jersey. Canuck Racing, the eighth official member, has taken the same viewpoint. Meanwhile, over in the Netherlands, team royals is wearing what appears to be the SNAOTR stripes, yet the team is not an official SNAOTR member. During the SNAOTR Riders' Council (SNAOTRRC) meeting that took place in December 2010, it was decided that royals would be allowed to wear the stripes. Some pundits speculate that the Dutch squad was able to retain its colors due to independent discovery of the colors, while others claim it is because of a "wine and wives" bribe. Still others suggest the orange is allowed to stay because it is "Dutch orange." Ancillary SNAOTR Membership While there are only eight official SNAOTR members, there has been much debate and discussion in regards to the involvement of other parties. United States team TheRhys is believed to be the next team to be offered representation at the SNAOTRRC, while foreign teams such as Portuguese [[Redop|redop]], Yuri SuperTeam, and Torreira, Belgian [[Korten_Cycletek|Korten Cycletek]], British Gradient Levellers and Team Washo, Danish Team Crazy Downhillers, and Dutch royals and sprint4live, among others, have led some to claim that there may be a forum for the creation of a Symbiotic World OCM Trade Relationship (SWOTR). Current SNAOTRRC Representatives Each team is allowed no more than two representatives on the SNAOTR Riders Council. Representatives must be from the United States, Canada, or Mexico. The goal is balanced membership between the three countries. However, there has never been a Mexican representative. The current ratio is six Americans, six Canadians. USA: [[Hamlin_Chessman|Hamlin Chessman]] ([[Alberta_1|alberta 1]]), Ely Haynes ([[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]]), Nigel Lowenstein (cavicchi42), Jason Myatt (speedyb), Durwin Swindle (Trinity), Davin Wann ([[Alberta_1|alberta 1]]) CAN: Fenton Chancey (HC Alpine), Lyndon Glasco (Canuck Racing), Douglas Kenton (HC Alpine), Spencer Paterson (Canuck Racing), Erskine Pettis ([[Trackstah07|trackstah07]]), Brian Walthall ([[Trackstah07|trackstah07]]) Controversy While SNAOTR has been successful in its missions of promoting free trade and strengthening North American cycling, it has not been without its share of controversy. SNAOTR Badge Controversy At the formation of SNAOTR, riders from [[Alberta_1|alberta 1]] were seen sporting a badge with the SNAOTR patch on it. The origins of the patches have never been confirmed. Many theories have emerged, however two theories are considered to be the most plausible. The first theory is that SNAOTR never developed badges and that the badges on [[Alberta_1|alberta 1]]'s jersey were actually the result of a practical joke by manager Elleniko of [[Redop|redop]], who had grown annoyed at constant insinuation that he was involved in SNAOTR (Note: The history of SNAOTR is a little bit like the history of Christianity. At first it was a small group that was hated by the masses, but since then it has grown into a global phenomenon). As the story goes, the final laugh was on Elleniko, as the joke only served to exacerbate the problem of the growing popularity of SNAOTR. [[Alberta_1|Alberta 1]] continues to sport the badge, explaining that, albeit as the result of a bad joke, "Elleniko has created an aesthetically-pleasing symbol that [[Hamlin_Chessman|Chessman]] and Wann are proud to wear." The second theory was started by former SNAOTR rider, Taymullah Burhan, when he publicly stated that his former team, [[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]], created the badges to sell to North American teams who would like to be included in SNAOTR at an inflated price to fund the massive training endeavors lastplace1414 had on the go at the time. When Brian Place was unable to sell them south of the border he sent them to [[Alberta 1|alberta 1]] to try to sell the patches in Canada. It might never be fully explained why Sean would put the badges on alberta 1's jerseys. It seems out of character for lastplace1414 to do that, but it seems equally out of character for [[Redop|redop]] to generate the badges. The origins of the badges have become a cold case that may never be resolved. Accusations of Collusion Various teams have petitioned the OCM to break up SNAOTR, claiming it creates an unfair competitive advantage. One critic once commented that "SNAOTR is basically just a bunch of North American girls playing tea party," to which Brian Place, manager of [[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]] replied: "No, we really don't think of it like that. We're kinda like a more intense version of the Jedi Council." Binge Drinking & Murder Accusations Two riders within SNAOTR have been implicated in the murder of cycling editorialist Kevin Collomonotti, including Abel Damian (formerly of [[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]]) and Quade Zeman (formerly of [[Lastplace1414|lastplace1414]] and [[Trackstah07|trackstah07]]). Zeman, along with his friends Kirk Russel (also of lastplace1414 and trackstah07) and Max Downhill (not within SNAOTR), have been called "cancers of the cycling world." Cycling's versions of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D2:_The_Mighty_Ducks "Bash Brothers"], Russel and Zeman have repeatedly posted intoxicated Tweets and Facebook statuses about other riders and teams, and more seriously, have both injured pedestrians while riding under the influence of alcohol (and in Russel's case, possibly narcotics). In the Collomonotti investigation, Zeman's lawyer told members of the media that "Zeman couldn't have killed anyone, he was blacked out drunk!" Monte Rosa Controversy Following Vasco Assis of [[Redop|redop]]'s victory in the inaugural Division 3 Monte Rosa Tour, [[Trackstah07|trackstah07]]'s Kirk Russel and [[Erskine Pettis]] claimed to have intentionally thrown the race after receiving bribes from Assis. Assis of course denied the truth in this, and he immediately countered by suing [[Trackstah07|trackstah07]] for defamation. The subpoena has been served, but international courts proceed slowly, so the trial still has yet to begin. It must also be noticed that Erskine Pettis is a well known sufferer of the Bubonic Plague. Notes